Supporting COPD treatment with hypnosis

January 31, 2017

Being short of breath, quickly fatigued and climbing stairs suddenly seems like running a marathon. Having COPD is incredibly exhausting. Dressing yourself for a moment is suddenly something that can leave you out of breath. Climbing stairs is suddenly a workout you hadn't anticipated. On top of that, COPD is a chronic disease.

To make sure you can still have a nice life with COPD, in this article I will go over what COPD is, what treatments are available and how mental techniques support COPD treatment.

What is COPD?

COPD stands for Chronic Obstructive Pulmanory Disease, which translates to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. COPD is a lung disease that prevents you from breathing optimally.

Per breath, this means you get much less oxygen into your body than a healthy person.

It is a collective term for lung diseases that are getting worse, such as chronic bronchitis, emphysema and severe forms of asthma.

COPD can develop very sneakily. You can suffer from it for years without realizing it. Only after several years do the symptoms of COPD become really obvious.

You cannot reduce the damage COPD does to your lungs, but you can inhibit the development of the damage( 1).

The symptoms of COPD

COPD can be recognized by the following symptoms:

Increasingly suffering from breathlessness.
Suffering from shortness of breath during exercise/sports.
Many cough.
Mucus rising to the surface while coughing.
Beeping breathing.
Tight feeling in the chest.

Over time, you may also lose weight and become weaker. In addition, you may suffer a temporary exacerbation of the complaint. During such a flare-up, it can be very difficult to breathe. The longer the disease lasts, the worse the flare-ups become.

COPD Test

You can't test at home to see if you suffer from COPD. You can, of course, find out if you suffer from the symptoms described above.

It's best to see a doctor if you think you have COPD. In order to check if you have COPD, he/she will run some tests.

This includes physically examining you and listening to your breathing.

In addition, you can prepare by checking whether you have smoked or otherwise been in contact with substances that can damage your lungs. Your doctor will also ask you about that.

A breath test can determine how strong your lungs still are. There are several breath tests that can be performed. For example, there is a test using a device in which you have to suck or blow up three pellets in tubes. This can show how strong your lungs are functioning.

X-rays of your lungs can also rule out whether there is not a cause other than COPD for your symptoms.

Causes COPD

COPD is caused by damage to the lungs, which is generally caused by smoking or poor air quality. If there is too much particulate matter in the air, this can also cause COPD.

Other airborne chemicals that cause lung irritation can also cause COPD symptoms later in life.

Smoking irritates elements in the lungs that are important for processing oxygen( 2).

Most people do not experience COPD until after age ⁶⁰. If you had frequent lung problems as a child, you may also suffer from this lung disease as early as age ³⁰. In those cases, COPD can also occur in several people in the family and you have a genetic predisposition for it.

Treatment of COPD

One of the first things you can do if you have COPD and smoke is to quit smoking. If you’ve been smoking for years or are over 60, it’s certainly not too late to quit—in fact, it’s never too late to quit. Especially not if you have COPD.

In addition, you often receive medications to combat deteriorating lungs and optimize lung function.

You also get classes to optimize breathing. This can be done with a speech therapist, for example.

Over time, you can be administered oxygen to still live normally.

You are also more likely to get the flu if you have COPD, which is why you can also get an annual flu shot.

Breathing exercises COPD

Sometimes while climbing stairs or walking you just need to catch your breath. In that case, you can perform the following exercise:

Lean into something or sit (upright)
Relax your shoulders
Check whether you are breathing through your belly or through your chest
Focus on breathing through the abdomen
Relax and continue to focus on breathing through the abdomen until you can move on.

Treatment support

In addition to medical treatment for COPD, you can also take steps on your own to support treatment. For example, you can avoid places that cause irritation to the lungs, such as places where smoking is common or where you come in contact with irritants.

Using an air filter in your home ensures that, at least in your home, you are doing as much as possible to avoid lung irritation.

Regular exercise is important to keep you physically strong and to keep your lungs stimulated to do a good job.

Mental techniques for coping with COPD

Especially during a COPD flare-up, you may experience panic. If you’re having a severe flare-up, it’s important to call 112 for help.

Because COPD is a chronic disease and can lead to an earlier death than if you were healthy, you may experience anxiety and depression. This is very difficult because it can interfere with your treatment and your ability to manage your symptoms effectively.

Therefore, here are some mental techniques you can use to suffer less from anxious and depressed feelings.

Initially, it is important to note that there is no average life expectancy for people with COPD. So you may as well get very old with this disease. It depends on your overall health and how much you come in contact with substances harmful to your lungs.

Mindfulness for COPD

Fears in COPD can be about the future. What if I have a COPD attack? What if I don't see my children grow up because of this stupid disease? What if...?

These are all thoughts about the future that prevent you from enjoying the moment you are in.

Mindfulness allows you to monitor your thoughts and ensure that you remain in the here and now. This also helps reduce anxiety and feelings of depression.

Self-hypnosis to stay calm during breathlessness

Research also shows that self-hypnosis can help prevent panic during episodes of shortness of breath associated with COPD. A research report indicates that this can help you realize that a moment of shortness of breath will not lead to death, allowing you to remain calmer and avoid panicking.

Instead of panicking and calling an ambulance, you can use the breathing exercises of self-hypnosis to stay calm until everything is functioning properly again.

In this, self-hypnosis has the function of allowing you to relax.

In addition, self-hypnosis can reinforce beliefs about COPD. For example, if you have learned about the disease and therefore know that you do not always have to panic at a moment of breathlessness, you can reinforce those beliefs with self-hypnosis.

You use that breathing exercise first and then repeat the statements, provided they are correct:

I am also growing old with COPD.

COPD is not my identity.

Exercise is possible with COPD.

Inform yourself about the disease

The same study also shows that the right information about COPD can make you stay calmer. The subject reveals in an interview that no one had ever told him that he would not die from a moment of breathlessness. Knowing that this can happen with COPD and that it is not always a disaster also made him come to use breathing exercises and self-hypnosis until he could breathe again and get enough oxygen into his body.

Get information from your doctor about how severe your COPD is and whether you should be concerned at a moment of breathlessness or not. If he/she can give you additional information about the disease and the stage you are in and how fast your disease is progressing, it is wise to familiarize yourself with it to avoid misconceptions.

Would you like to learn more about mental techniques for better managing chronic illnesses? Join the free online masterclass on hypnosis or sign up for one of our training programs.

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